


The Principle Of It

by Wonderfulworld



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Awkward Sexual Tension, Cunnilingus, Draco won’t shut up, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Four times they should’ve fucked, Post-Hogwarts, The time they finally did
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:40:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25784524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wonderfulworld/pseuds/Wonderfulworld
Summary: “Next time, just come over and ask me directly to fuck you into my couch. There’s no need to bring work into it.” Draco said smugly as Hermione’s face contorted back into rage.“There’s not going to be a next time. I’m drunk and I’m sorry and I clearly made a mistake.” She said through gritted teeth.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 20
Kudos: 267





	1. Chapter 1

Hermione was drunk for the third time in her life. The first time she had made this mistake she had lost her virginity to a Bulgarian World Class Quidditch player. The second time she had created, practiced and performed a TED talk titled “Making your way back to the friend zone: 12 reasons why we should break up.” Ron had been less than thrilled by the second event and remained unaware of the first. Harry and Ginny found both incidents hilarious. This should explain the matching looks of joy on the Weasley-Potter faces and the slight fear in Ron’s eyes as Hermione ordered another round of Firewhiskey for the table. 

“And he said” Hermione hiccuped and lost her train of thought for a moment. “What was I saying?” 

“Malfoy said?” Ginny laughed a little as Harry shook his head, immediately regretting encouraging her. 

“He didn’t _say_ anything. He slammed his resignation on the table, nodded his fucking perfect head of hair and then left.” Hermione took a large gulp of her drink and swallowed. 

“Ferret has perfect hair now?” Ron was attempting to keep up but was now just as drunk as Hermione. 

“Ferret’s always has perfect hair. He was just a dick about it before.” Ginny nodded seriously at Harry’s words. 

“Wait. Wait wait.” Ron lent into the table to whisper conspiratorially. “Are we friends with him now?” 

“You invited him to your birthday party, Ron.” Ginny smirked at him as he slammed his head onto the table and groaned. 

“How could you let this happen?” Ron said as he pointed an accusatory finger at Hermione. 

“It’s not my fault!” Hermione turned red, already pink from the alcohol and now descending further into a rage. “He’s just a colleague.” 

“Just a colleague…” Harry said with raised eyebrows and shared a knowing look with Ginny. 

“Well, he’s not even that now!” Hermione announced and Ron cheered before sobering at her angry expression. “You know what really grinds my gears?” Hermione said darkly. 

“Grinds your gears?” Ginny mumbled and Harry giggled. 

“He didn’t even have the decency to apologise for the inconvenience.” Hermione sniffs. 

“Inconvenience.” Harry echoed her now and it was Ginny’s turn to giggle. 

  
  


“You know what I should do?” Hermione nodded seriously and then hiccuped before standing up. 

“What?” Ron looked up at her with genuine interest, eyes wide. She didn’t reply, instead nodding again sternly, turning on her heel and walking towards the door. Ron watched her go and sighed. “She’s so smart.” He started giggling a little and then turned to look at Harry for reassurance. Harry and Ginny were now deep into a battle of tongues and paying very little attention to him. He gagged a little before resting his head on the table. 

  
  


Hermione had built herself into more of a rage in her walk through Diagon Alley. She spotted her reflection in a dark shop window with her large cloud of hair flowing behind her and her eyes wild and pauses her drunken rampage to twist her hair into a bun on the back of her head. She pointed at her own reflection and muttered. 

“It’s the principle of it.” Window Hermione nodded at her sharply. She continued her trek, ignoring the concerned looks of a shop owner as he locks his door. She stopped in front of a small green door, hidden beside an empty shop front and directly opposite Flourish and Bolts. She twisted one loose hair from the front of her face and placed it behind her ear and then knocked on the door. There was no reply and she held her hand up to knock again before inhaling suddenly. She was being ridiculous. It _was_ none of her business and she _was_ drunk and it must be fairly obvious to everyone that she was just looking for an excuse to- to what? Shout at him until he gave her some kind of expression other than cool disdain? _This was a horrible idea._

Then the front door opened and a ruffled-looking Draco Malfoy stood in the doorway wearing low-waisted grey sweatpants and no T-shirt as he cleaned his teeth with an _electric toothbrush_ like a _muggle._ His mouth fell open at the sight of her and he switched the toothbrush off and pulled it out of his mouth quickly, looking her up and down for a moment. He attempted to recover and swallowed before opening his mouth to speak. 

“You’re brushing your teeth.” Hermione interrupted him and he paused, looking at his toothbrush and then back at her with confusion. As if it were news to him. 

“My dentist suggested it.” She nodded seriously for a second and he smiled at her widely. Then she looked behind him into the small corridor followed by steep stairs. Draco looked behind him and then back at her. 

“Did you want to come up?” Her eyebrows furrowed and she studied his face for a second. He seemed genuine, if not confused and she was trying to remember why she was there. Maybe she’d remember upstairs, in his flat, preferably in his bedroom, but she’d settle for any horizontal surface. She shakes the thought from her head. 

Hermione didn’t say another word but pushed past him and ran up the stairs quickly. He watched her run up the stairs and then shut the door behind her. By the time he made it to the top of the stairs her bag was on his kitchen surface, her coat was over the arm of his sofa and she was pacing across his already worn out rug. He watched her mumbling to herself for a moment and then shrugged, turning his toothbrush back on and putting it back in his mouth. He walked past her into the bathroom and watched her out the corner of his eye. He spit into the sink, still watching her and then switched the toothbrush off and placed it on it’s charging station. 

“Of all the fucking idiotic…” Hermione was still pacing as Draco pulled a jumper from the back of a chair and over his head. 

“Do you want something to drink?” He stood in the corner of his own living room, arms crossed nervously. She looked up at him with surprise and he remembered himself, pulling his shoulders back and giving her a confident smirk. Hermione looked away from him again, looking around the flat with interest. It was smaller than she imagined and homely in a way that she never would’ve expected. 

“I’m drunk.” Hermione was looking back at him now that his question has finally reached the small part of her brain still working. Draco raised an eyebrow and moved around to the kitchen area, back turned from her as he reached to pull down two cups. Maybe if he was as drunk as her he’d ravage her on the surprisingly comfy looking hand knitted blanket spread across his sofa. She was sure of it. 

“You should drink though.” He chuckled a little but didn't turn around, reaching into another cupboard for something and then pouring ingredients into the glasses. He turned around and held out a cup towards her, his hand gripping at the liquid filled glass and his expression unreadable. She stared at his fingers for a moment and came to the decision that he should definitely be throwing her onto his sofa. Noting how he’d lost the pretentious ring he used to wear in school and remembering how often she’d thought about those hands when alone at night. She snapped out of it and reached to take the glass from him. He studied her with a strange expression as she took a sip of the drink and then sat down. 

“There’s that Gryffindor bravery.” He smiled down at her as he walked over to the sofa, carrying his own drink. She looked at him with confusion as she gulped down more of her drink. “Accepting a drink from a Death Eater? Amateur move.” His tone was serious and her eyes widened for a second. Then his lips quirked into a playful smirk and she snorted a laugh into her cup. He sat on the sofa beside her, taking a sip from his own drink before placing it on a small coffee table in the middle of the room. “It’s just water and apple juice so I wouldn’t worry about it too much.” She giggled slightly and then stopped herself again. 

Hermione placed her drink beside his and then shuffled to sit closer to him. He smiled a little at her and then stared at an empty space on his wall paper. There’s a peaceful silence as she studied his face. There was a small amount of toothpaste on the corner of his lips that she couldn’t take her eyes off. Even as he turned his full attention back to her. 

“Sorry. Got caught up in my thoughts.” He opened his mouth to say something more and she grabbed his jumper and pulled it towards her, crashing her mouth onto his. He made a choking noise in the back of his throat and then pressed his lips closer to hers. She opened her mouth a little to lick at his and he placed his hands at her waist as he opened his own mouth in response. Then he suddenly pushed her off and she fell back as her weight shifted from pressing against him to sprawled across the sofa. He was looking at her like she’d said something so horrible he had no words. 

“You had toothpaste.” She was breathing too deeply considering how short the kiss was and he looked her up and down for a moment before leaning across her and pressing his mouth to hers again. He stuck his leg between hers and grabbed at her hip with one hand as he pressed her into the surprisingly comfortable blanket. She ran a hand through his hair, feeling for herself the longer than usual locks and he moans into her mouth. She bit his lip quickly in response and then giggled. He pulled back to look down at her. 

“You’re drunk.” She giggled again but attempted to pull him back down by his hair. He pulled all the way back to rest on his heels and then sat back down in his space on the sofa. He leaned forward and drained the rest of his drink in one. 

“Did you have apple juice too?” She poked him a little with her foot and he smiled a little, shaking his head. 

“Beer.” She smiled wider at him and pushed up onto her elbows. 

“We can be drunk together.” She raised her eyebrows at him and he chuckled for a moment. Then he stopped quickly. 

“Do you want to fuck me?” He said it with curiosity not excitement and her eyebrows furrowed. She frowned at him suddenly. 

“No. I came here because you’re a horrible friend and an even worse colleague.” She started sitting up and turning herself to sit next to him. 

“Excuse me?!” His light mood was gone in a moment and he suddenly looked like old Draco. The one who played on the offensive constantly as a defence mechanism and called her names just to make her cry. 

“What you did was selfish and rude and you know it. You didn’t give me a warning or any reason. You just _quit._ ”

“May I ask why _the fuck_ it is any of your business?” He all but spat it at her. 

“You’re an important member of our team.” She tried to keep her tone level but her fists were clenched. 

“Oh yeah. I’m sure it’s my adequate filing skills that have got you riled up.” He drawled with confidence and leant back casually. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“It means that you’re probably more upset that you can’t check me out in the lift every morning now I won’t be there.” Hermione turned bright red and spluttered. She stood up quickly and almost tripped on the coffee table. 

“I have never-“

“What about that week all my shirts got shrunk in the wash and you made sure to personally bring all memos to my office like a fucking muggle?” He looked up at her, smug at her discomfort. 

“Why do you wash your shirts like a muggle?! And what’s with the bloody electric toothbrush?! You’re a fucking wizard!” Hermione grabbed her coat from the sofa and then stormed towards the kitchen area to grab her bag. Draco kicked the coffee table with his foot. 

“The Evil Overlord that ruled my teenage years was really passionate about not doing our laundry the muggle way and I wanted to get in a last fuck you!” 

“That’s fucking childish and you know it!” 

“Oh shut up with your morals and your principles. You can take your opinions and shove them up your-“ He paused for a second when she pulled her wand out and raised it at him. He held his hands up and pressed his mouth into a firm line as she pulled her coat on, swapping her wand from one hand to another to keep it trained on him. She pushed her curls back from her face and then put her wand into her bag. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to- I don’t know what I was thinking. I never do this.” She blushed a deep red again and clenched and unclenched her fists by her side. 

“Next time, just come over and ask me directly to fuck you into my couch. There’s no need to bring work into it.” Draco said smugly as Hermione’s face contorted back into rage. 

“There’s not going to be a next time. I’m drunk and I’m sorry and I clearly made a mistake.” She said through gritted teeth. 

“Maybe that’s good. Considering it obviously wouldn’t work.” Draco said seriously. 

“Obviously.” She said it slowly, pronouncing each letter clearly and watching as he stood. 

“Please get out of my house, Granger.” She breathed out a little shakily before rushing down the stairs. She didn’t look back until the green door slammed closed behind her. She kicked the door and then ran back to The Leaky Cauldron just in time to catch Ron stumbling out. 


	2. Chapter 2

Draco Malfoy woke the following morning tired and more than a little disappointed with himself. After she had left he had gone through a few emotions. First Anger, tipping the coffee table over and swearing. Second Sadness, drinking the entire bottle of vodka hidden under his kitchen sink and crying as Mariah Carey played in the background. Third Horny, gripping his length and breathing shakily as he thought of how she’d looked sprawled across his sofa; red in the face and breathing heavily. 

By the next morning he had gone through these three stages twice and was standing under a cold shower, trying very hard to break the cycle. He found it deeply concerning that this was the time he remembered his parents and, more importantly, the event he was going to be late for. He breathed shakily, gave into the temptation of coming one last time with her name on his lips and then rushed to get dressed appropriately. 

Upon arriving at Malfoy Manor he was back firmly in the anger stage and pushed aside three house elves on his way to the door. He was early and house elves were still decorating the carefully laid out tables and chairs as he stormed up to his father’s office. He knocked twice and then pushed open the door rather impatiently. 

“Remind me again why I had to be here.” Draco said, grumpily to his father sitting behind his desk. 

“You might’ve quit your job but you made a commitment.” The response did not come from Lucius’s smug face but from a blushing Hermione stood opposite the desk. “It’s the principle of it. It would look bad if you  _ didn’t  _ support the cause.” 

Draco scoffed and looked at his father for support but Lucius was nodding along to Hermione’s words. 

“She’s right. This lunch is important for the department and the Malfoy name. I’m not letting all the work go to waste because you’re being childish.” 

“I’m not being-“ Draco sighed and rubbed his forehead as Lucius stood from his chair. 

“You’ve got twenty minutes to work out whatever this is and then I expect you both in the dining room.” Lucius nodded and then pushed past Draco, slamming the door behind him. As soon as the door shut, Hermione looked away nervously and cleared her throat. She refused to make eye contact with him even as he glared at her. 

“I know this is less than ideal but I think we can-“ The rest of her words were lost as he strode towards her, grabbed her by the back of the head and crashed his lips onto hers. She stumbled backwards before leaning into him, gripping at his shoulders and then the back of his neck as he thrust his tongue into her mouth. “-be professional about this.” Draco chuckled as she tried to finish getting her words out but struggled around a moan. He gripped her hips and pulled them against his own, pulling her onto her tiptoes. She stumbled slightly and pulled at his hair and he bit her lip. She gasped and he picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist as he walked them towards the desk. He pulled his mouth from hers to kiss along her collarbone once she perched on the edge of the desk. 

“Tell me you’re sober now before we make a mistake.” He grumbled against her skin, nipping at it a little with his teeth when she didn’t reply. 

“I...Ye-yes I’m fine now.” She stuttered out as he pressed open mouth kisses to the corner where her neck met her shoulder and sucked. “Fuck.” 

As she swore his hips stuttered against hers and he let out a groan. She pulled him back up by his hair and shoved her tongue into his mouth before grabbing at his shirt and fumbling to undo his tie. 

“Been thinking about this since you left.” He breathed against her mouth, his right hand crawling up her legs and under her skirt. As one long finger pressed into the apex of her thighs she gasped and he pressed his mouth impossibly closer to hers. “How are you so fucking wet?” He murmured into her lips. 

“Been thinking about it too.” She started popping his buttons out of their holes. His hand continues its journey, pushing her knickers out the way to press his finger into her. She arched a little and gasped, fingers pausing their mission to remove his shirt as one finger fills her. He groaned and his other hand grips into her arse cheek. 

“So tight.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek as he sighed into her ear. “Gonna feel so fucking  _ good _ .” She groaned at his words and the motion of him pulling out his finger. He replaced it with two and she threw her head back too quickly, knocking his nose with her forehead. 

“Fuck!” His shout wasn’t of bliss but rather pain as he pulled both hands from her and grabbed at his face. Her eyes widened as she watched him bend over at the waist still clutching his nose. 

“Are you ok?” She asked hesitantly as he tipped his head back and clutched his nose with one hand, fingers gripping the back of one chair. 

“No. I’m fucking not ok.” He squeezes his eyes shut as a small drop of blood made its way out of his nose. “Why is your forehead so bloody hard?!” 

“How is this my fault?!” 

“You head butted me! You could’ve knocked me out!” 

“You should’ve given me a warning before you tried to stuff your whole hand-“ 

“Victim-blaming! Really?!” 

“Why are you always playing victim?!” 

“I’m bleeding, woman! For once I  _ am _ the fucking victim!” 

“You’re so- you’re just- Why are you so infuriating?!” 

“I think I have a concussion.” 

“What were you going to do just fuck me in your dad’s study?” 

“This is the least sexy thing that has ever happened to me.” 

“Not going to apologise for practically kicking me out of your house!” 

“And I used to date Pansy.” 

“Still no explanation for quitting your job!” 

“I’m feeling a little light headed. Am I still bleeding?” 

“Should’ve just done this drunk.” 

“Forehead of steel, fucking madwoman.”

Hermione stood with her hands on her hips, posture as if she was chastising a child. 

“You’d make a marvellous replacement for McGonagall.” He said confidently. Then he blacked out and fell to the floor. 

~ 

“Draco. Darling, it’s time to get up now.” 

“Hermione?” 

“No, it’s your mother.” Draco groaned, laid an arm across his eyes and attempted the fall back asleep. “Draco Lucius Malfoy! If you don’t get up right now I’m selling your fire bolt.” At that he sat up straight, meeting the smug expression of Narcissa Malfoy and feeling a jolt of fear. 

“I’m an adult, mother. You can’t take my broom away from me anymore.” He lay back down onto the floor. 

“Don’t try me.” Narcissa’s voice was dark and then she clapped her hands together and smiled encouragingly. “You’re going to miss the luncheon.” 

“Can’t I play the I-fainted-and-I-can’t-get-up card?” 

“No. You can not. Poor Hermione came crying to me saying you’d smacked your head on the wall and now we’d have to cancel the whole event. Lovely girl but a little dramatic sometimes.” Draco sat up again and glared at his mother. 

“She said I smacked it on the wall? Are you kidding me?” 

“Well you do have a penchant for the dramatic too, dear.” 

“I’m the injured party. Can we all just remember that, please?” 

“You’ll be fine.” Narcissa summoned a napkin and handed it to him. “Wipe the blood from your nose, ask a house elf for a pepper-up potion and then go do your job.” 

“I don’t have a job anymore.” 

“Oh, yes. Please announce publicly how you are unemployed. Nothing makes a mother prouder.” Narcissa raised an eyebrow at him and then shook her head. 

~ 

After stumbling away from his mother’s judgmental face, throwing back Pepper-Up potions like they were shots and intently ignoring his father’s knowing eyes Draco was feeling like himself again. If perhaps more cheerful than usual due to an unfortunate potion side effect. He found himself  _ smiling _ at guests, flirting old ladies into donating money to important causes and all around doing a marvellous job. As people started leaving, he thought to himself how Granger would probably ravage him on the spot if she saw him caring so much and then realised he hadn’t seen her for hours. Since she’d knocked him out and left him to deal with his mother. 

Draco turned around suddenly, just in time to spot Hermione weaving her way around tables and people away from him. He chased after her, shaking hands and smiling as he passed people like some sort of celebrity. He thought for a second he had lost her until he spotted her shoes under a long curtain in one corner. He pulled it back with a large smirk and she yelped. 

“Granger.” 

“Malfoy.” 

“Can I join you?” 

“Of course.” He stepped in beside her and let the curtain fall back in front of their faces. He was still smiling and it looked eerily friendly on his usually stern face as he turned and raised his eyebrows at her. She made a  _ humph  _ noise and then turned back to face the curtain. 

“I’m not fucking you behind a curtain. I don’t care about your exhibitionist streak.” Hermione said confidently, avoiding his eyes. 

“I don’t have a… That’s not relevant right now.” Draco coughed into his hand and watched her closely. “You told my mother I hit my head on a wall.” Hermione’s fists clenched and she gritted her teeth together. 

“Did you want me to tell her what actually happened?” Hermione turned and raised an eyebrow at him. 

“I guess not.” He was still smiling and it made her scowl. “It is a shame though.” Hermione sighed and when he didn’t say anything else she gave in. 

“What is, Malfoy?” He shrugged. 

“You had to wait until the day before I left for America to try and jump me in my father’s office. Never took you as a coward, Granger.” Hermione scoffed. 

“You’re not going to America.” 

“Why do you think I quit my job?” Hermione ground her teeth together and glared up at him. He continued smiling widely. “I’m going travelling! Studying alchemy actually which should be interest-“ He didn’t finish his sentence as she, for the second time in their lives, punched him square in the face. She pushed past him and out of the curtain as he doubled-over holding his nose which she may not have broken earlier but certainly had now. 

His mother found him a half an hour later, still crouching behind the curtain. She raised an eyebrow at him and he scowled up at her. 

“Walk into a wall again, dear?”

“Granger is less than pleased by my career decisions.” 

“Ah.” Narcissa smiles a little, nodding. “Yes, she left a little while ago.” Draco scoffed and put his head in his hands. “You’re not very good with Gryffindors are you, darling?” 

“It’s fine. They don’t have Gryffindors in the States.” Narcissa seemed surprised at his remarks. 

“Are you still going then?” Draco looked up at his mother with confusion. “I just thought that if you’d had a lovers quarrel, maybe it would be smarter to-“ 

“We’re not-She’s just a friend.” Narcissa raised a knowing eyebrow at him. “It doesn’t matter.” She remained unimpressed. “Mother! Honestly. I’ll be fine.” 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kind of kicks it up a notch in terms of explicit content but I hope it’s still entertaining in its own right. Xx

* * *

Draco Malfoy had been gone for four months and Hermione hadn’t thought about him  _ once _ . She had instead thought about him multiple times a day, mostly within the privacy of her own shower. The shower she had chosen for its removable shower head and thick walls. It was embarrassing how much time she spent thinking about him considering the somewhat awkward nature of their last meeting.  _ This is the least sexy thing that has ever happened to me.  _ Considering that confession, his sudden disappearance across the ocean and the pain his face must have been feeling considering the bruises she found on her knuckles the next morning she felt confident in assuming that that ship had sailed. 

This information in mind and despite the post-it note she’d stuck to her mirror that said, in large and luminous letters:  _ Draco Malfoy isn’t a good kisser and is an even worse person _ , Hermione found herself packing a bag to America. She assured herself that she had offered to visit the MACUSA headquarters for multiple reasons: her colleagues all had children, she was the most qualified for this specific project, she enjoyed flying. She pushed the information that Malfoy was living two streets down from the MACUSA base to the back of her brain and climbed onto the plane. She could’ve asked for a portkey with very little trouble but she really  _ did  _ enjoy flying. 

She  _ had _ enjoyed flying previously. Apparently the Ministry travel department couldn’t organise a ticket any higher than economy class and apparently turbulence was a permanent state for her particular seven hour flight. This meant that by the time she landed in New York she was not only jet lagged but also the most stressed she’d ever felt. Her plane landed at 10 in the morning and her first meeting wasn’t until 5 o’clock in the evening. She groaned internally at the thought of trying to wake from a nap and decided instead to find a dark place that would serve her cold water and wouldn’t let her nod off. 

Hermione had been gulping down ice cold water at a Wizarding bar consistently for the last hour by the time Draco Malfoy arrived, looking thrilled with himself and annoyingly awake in comparison to the luggage beneath her own eyes. He had, disappointingly, cut his hair. 

“I heard a rumour that Britain’s Golden Girl was day drinking in a New York bar but it was so ridiculous I had to check it myself.” He sat two stools down from her and smirked as she turned red. 

“Oh, so you don’t skip your job to go day drinking yourself these days?” Hermione grins at him and he grins back. 

“I never left the Ministry during work hours! I took my job very seriously, you know.” Hermione raised an eyebrow at him and scoffed a little. “I kept a bottle of fire whiskey in my desk. I didn’t even have to leave the premises.” 

“That’s-That’s against-“ Hermione’s angry stammerings were interrupted by Draco’s cool tones. 

“Departmental Bylaws 5 through 8. I’m well aware, Granger.” She looked at him shocked and he rolled his eyes. “You’re not the only one capable of memorising the employee handbook.” Hermione blushed and then took a few large gulps from her glass of water, pointedly avoiding Draco’s eyes. “Sorry, I should keep the academic prowess in the bedroom really. Seems the kind of thing that only you could soak your knickers to.” His voice was low as he spoke but she still heard him and choked on her water, gasping for breath. 

“Honestly, Granger. Try not to choke so much in my presence or someone might get the wrong idea.” She coughed one last time and then glared at him. 

“Why are you sitting so far away?” She said and cocked her head to the side asshe watched his fingers tap against the wooden bar. 

“Well, you broke my nose rather successfully and I would be angry but the American witches can’t get enough of it.” He smirks, all too proud of himself. “I can’t have you breaking it back into its original position. My hard earned reputation would be ruined.” Hermione rolled her eyes at his words and then sighed. 

“If you come sit next to me I promise not to break your nose again.” Draco squinted at her and she lowered her voice to barely a whisper. “As long as you don’t try and finger me in your father’s study.” Draco chuckled. 

“In my defence, it seemed like a good idea at the time.” He stood up and moved along the two seats to rub shoulders with her. “And I’m definitely not promising to never do that again. It could’ve been quite the sexual experience if you didn’t have the hardest forehead in history.” 

Hermione mumbled something around the lip of her glass. 

“I’m sorry what was that Miss Granger?” Draco taunted her playfully, leaning in closer. 

“I said you should get smaller fingers!” She spoke too loudly and realised a little too late that the bar was not entirely empty. A few stragglers were sitting in one corner and a bartender was only a few meters away. One of the stragglers wolf whistled and Draco blushed this time. He attempted to recover and spoke low into Hermione’s ear. 

“I mean if my fingers alone are an issue maybe we were right about this not working out.” Hermione’s head jerked up but Draco, ever an avid learner, moved his own head away quickly. She looked up at him with eyes that seemed to swallow him whole. She bent and pulled a couple galleons from her purse to slide them across the bar. She tucked a stray hair behind her head, conscious that Draco was watching her and then turned to look at him again. 

“Your flat is close, right?” Hermione said it meekly, as if genuinely enquiring the placement of his residence and not propositioning him in the middle of the day. He blinked at her for a couple of moments, as if surprised despite their obvious flirting and slightly complicated history. 

“You were just drinking water, right?” Draco’s voice was level and his nostrils flared a little as he tried to breathe calmly. Hermione nodded and he grabbed her wrist suddenly, pulling her away from the bar and out into the afternoon sunlight. He tugged her into an alleyway without a word and apparated them silently. 

Hermione barely felt her feet touch the floor of his temporary flat before he was kissing her deeply. His hands were pushed into her hair on either side of her face and she gasped into his mouth as he pushed her against the front door, throwing his own coat behind him. He worked his tongue into her mouth, less violently than he had done previously but no less passionate. Her own tongue pushed back and he let her explore his mouth for a moment while he pushed her jacket off her and pulled her hair onto one shoulder. He pulled away from the kiss to work his mouth along the now exposed shoulder and she whimpered as he sucked on a specific spot just a little above her collar bone. He grinned against her skin and then repeated the motion, listening attentively for another soft sound to escape her lips. 

She kicked off her shoes as he licked over the spot and then pulled his hips to hers by his belt buckle. He choked on a groan as she started unbuckling the belt and made the quick decision to pull her with him as he stumbled backwards towards his sofa. He sat down heavily and she immediately straddled him, kissing his mouth quickly before pecking along his cheek and down his neck. 

“I should’ve quit years ago. Imagine, we wasted all this time having mediocre sex with other people.” Hermione smiled a little and then sunk her teeth into the juncture where his neck met his shoulder. His hips jolted upwards and ground into her and his hands gripped onto her hips tight enough to leave bruises. “Not that  _ I’ve  _ ever had mediocre sex but I imagine you have with Weasel.” Hermione rolled her eyes and kissed him deeply on the mouth before working her tongue down the other side of his neck. “Not that I imagine sex with Weasel, I just feel sorry for you.” Hermione pulled back from kissing him to grind her core right over where the bulge in his trousers was slowly growing. 

“Stop talking, Malfoy.” He lent up to try and kiss her but she tipped her head back to focus on the perfect pressure against her clit once she got friction at the right angle. He dragged her against him by the hips slowly and she looked back down at him with her eyes cloudy with lust. 

“What can’t handle dirty talk?” Hermione snorted a laugh and when his face went from smug to disappointed she tried to smother her giggles but failed. “What’s so fucking funny, Granger?” 

“That’s not dirty talk Malfoy. That’s you babbling on nervously and completely ruining the mood.” 

“I’m not nervous.” 

“Ok.” 

“I’m not.” He punctuated this with a sudden roll of his hips and her body relaxed against him again, no longer shaking with laughter. “Not so fucking funny now, is it?” She whimpered quietly again and he sighed, squeezing his eyes shut at the feeling. Suddenly his eyes opened and he turned them so she was lying on the sofa and he was hovering above her. He pressed a long, heavy kiss to her lips. “You didn’t fly out to just dry hump on the couch, did you?” Hermione arched a little off the sofa as he pulled her jeans down. 

“No.” He kissed the inside of her ankle as he peeled the jeans all the way off her. “I actually came for an international conference on the ethically and economically responsible development of Non-Wizarding magical beings and their communities.” Draco snorted a laugh and then kissed back up her calf. 

“I’d ask if you were taking the mick but I know for a fact that just saying that got you wetter.” He slipped his tongue out to lick the soft skin behind her knee and she jolted forwards a little, desperate for some sort of friction now her jeans were gone and the cool air of his small flat could be felt through her cotton panties. Draco kissed up her other leg and then licked in the same spot, chuckling to himself at her frustrated groan. 

“I’m going to kick you in the face if you don’t do something.” She said it through gritted teeth with her eyes squeezed shut and he grinned before sliding both hands down her thighs towards their apex. She arched up a little and he pulled her knickers down her legs, discreetly stuffing them into his trouser pocket. “If you think I’m dumb enough to leave my knickers in your pocket then we should stop this right now.” 

“God woman! Relax for a moment would you.” She leaned up onto an elbow for a moment to raise an eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes. Slowly, ever so slowly, he pressed one finger into her and she threw her head back, lying against the sofa again. He smiled and watched as she screwed her eyes closed. “There you go.” He pulled his finger out and then replaced it with both his forefinger and middle finger, once in he adjusted his hand to press his thumb against her clit and she moved her head from side to side, arching up a little as he pressed again firmer. 

“Can I eat you out?” Draco wasn’t sure where the request came from, his own dick was much more concerned about finally making its way into the witch writhing in front of him, but he said it anyway. Hermione paused for a moment, eyes opening suddenly to look up at him. Then she bit her lip and nodded. Draco leaned over to kiss her again, sliding his tongue against hers in a way that made her moan up into his mouth. Then he pulled back, licked his lips and nodded at her in a strangely formal way before shuffling himself back into a comfortable position. 

For a moment Hermione stared up at the ceiling, uncomfortably aware of his gaze and proximity. She was about to ask him very politely if he’d please move it along before he finally pulled her forward by his hands on her bum and licked slowly up her heat before circling her clit. She choked out a whimper and then heard him snigger below her. He repeated the motion again before moving his hand to press two fingers straight into her. She gasped loudly and he licked directly at her clit, turning the gasp into a moan. He pulled his fingers all the way out before pushing straight back in and she moaned again, arching off the sofa until he used his free arm to hold her hips down. 

“Stay. Fucking. Still.” He murmured it against her and she groaned, nodding quickly and shaking with the exertion of not seeking out friction. He went back to his motions and kept pushing his two fingers in and out, rubbing and licking at her clit every so often. Soon enough she was moving again, attempting to grind herself against his face and he gripped her harder and bit lightly at her clit. She came suddenly, moaning loudly, pushing her fingers into his hair and arching off the sofa. He pistoned his fingers in and out of her quickly as she muttered. 

“Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.” She stretched her arms above her head and shook a little as she came down from the high, still gasping for breath. Draco pulled his fingers from her, sucking them into his mouth and then sitting back onto his feet. 

“You have an over sensitive clit.” He said, matter-of-fact, as he unzipped his painfully tight trousers and undid the button. Just as he was about to pull himself from his trousers he heard a snore. He chuckled and then froze, glaring at a now peacefully sleeping Hermione as if she had murdered his entire family. He sighed, pulled her knickers from his pocket and screwed his face up in concentration as he slid one, then two legs in and pulled them up her body. He leaned over to the arm chair beside the sofa and unfolded the blanket there, pulling it over Hermione. He sat back in his seat and stared down at his softening bulge. 

“We got to third base before the jet lag took over and no one got punched this time. I call that progress.” 

His dick said nothing but seemed less than impressed. 

~ 

Draco, snoring loudly, with his head titled back on his own sofa was woken with a kick to his already emotionally unstable groin. He sat up suddenly, gagging a little at the pain, and met the blazing eyes of Hermione Granger. 

“You let me sleep in!” She was needlessly distraught and he was too tired to deal with it so he lay his head back against the sofa cushions again and closed his eyes before replying. 

“I didn’t let you do anything. You were out like a light.” 

“Malfoy!” She sounded genuinely distressed and he opened an eye. “I have my meeting in less than three minutes. Can you get off my jeans please?” He opened both eyes to look down at where she was tugging at denim material and realised he was sitting on them. He stood up and quickly did up his zipper and button, buckling up his trousers before she noticed. She stood beside him, jumping a little to pull her trousers up with one hand and attempting to curl her hair into some semblance of a bun with the other. He sighed and then pulled his wand from his discarded coat. He twirled it and muttered a simple spell and her hair curled itself into place. She looked at him with pleasant surprise for a second before remembering she was angry with him. 

“Do you have a floo?” She pulled her own coat back on, patting the pockets to check for her wand. Draco shook his head and spread his arms as if gesturing to his fireplace-less flat. She sighed and then muttered something. 

“I can apparate you if you need-“ Draco was hesitant to offer, noting how tense she seemed to be. 

“I think you’ve done more than enough.” Hermione snapped at him but then immediately regretted it. “Sorry. I’m just- well you remember working for the ministry.” He laughed a little and then opened the front door. She squinted at him for a moment and then shook her head. 

“You’ll do great, Granger.” He smiled at her widely and she grinned back, pressing a quick kiss to his mouth before running out the door, waving as she went. 

He waited for the next week, wondering is she’d come over again. He checked the bar and even tried to look casual outside the MACUSA building on a couple of occasions before remembering that, as a known Ex-Death Eater, that may seem less inoccent than intended. It wasn’t until his owl finally brought him his copy of The Prophet at the end of the week that he realised what happened. 

“Golden Girl And Quidditch Star Reunited At Last” The article said, showing a picture of the witch smiling prettily up at the hulking Bulgarian. It claimed to go until detail about their reconnection in the United States but Draco was less than eager to read it. He swiftly lit the newspaper on fire and applied to extend his alchemy classes another two terms.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated this twice because I realised the first version had a large section repeated twice for some reason Xx

Draco Malfoy finally returned 6 months later. During that time Hermione had been promoted, finally bought a working fridge and been on exactly 17 first dates. She had not been on a second date since Ron and this particular statistic was starting to worry her. She had decided, perhaps foolishly, that Draco Malfoy was not the kind of man you date. It seemed like the kind of advice her mother would give and it made her feel better about practically running from his apartment (twice). 

Draco Malfoy had, in these same six months, graduated from his alchemy course, found investments for his business idea and brought the empty shop beneath his old flat in Diagon Alley. He had burnt 17 newspapers discussing Hermione’s love life and had decided, rather suddenly, that Hermione Granger was the kind of woman you marry. This information did nothing to help his self esteem and was one of the reasons he refused to visit her. 

Harry Potter, one of the few friends who had stayed in touch during his trip, organised a return party. That is to say, he promised Draco he would do it, asked Hermione very politely to do it for him and (when she flat out refused) hired someone instead. Ginny Weasley was not informed of the party until the night it happened, something Harry assured her was an accident and not a conspiracy to keep her out of the loop so she couldn’t say no. Harry remained, in the minds of everyone, the worst liar in history. 

The party was exactly a week after Draco’s return and was held at Grimmauld place. Harry had once again forgotten his celebrity status and assumed that not everyone invited would turn up. He was wrong. Hermione arrived once the party was already in full swing and weaved her way around the crowds of her drunk ex-classmates. She managed to avoid Cormac McLaggen for the first quarter of an hour (she’d had rather a lot of practice at it over the years) but then quickly found herself sitting beside him in an armchair that was definitely made for one person. He tried to ask her out on a second date, he was the third of the 17 poor wizards involved in what Ginny referred to as The Purge Of Malfoy, but Hermione managed to avoid his question rather obviously four times before Ginny wandered over and saved her. 

“I need your help with something.” Ginny Weasley appeared almost like an angel in that moment and Hermione nodded a little too eagerly and apologised quickly to a slightly crestfallen Cormac as she followed Ginny into a corner. The two girls shouted over the loud music as they made their way to the deserted corridor upstairs. 

“Do you actually need my help?” Ginny nodded swiftly. 

“We can’t find Malfoy!” 

“It’s his party.” 

“I know. That’s why it’s a problem.” Hermione shut the door behind them with a slam and then fixed Ginny with a serious expression. 

“Did you murder him?” Ginny laughed mockingly. 

“I’ve already seen Harry and Ron showing off their synchronised beer bottle flip and drink move so at least we know he’s not buggering either of them in the bathroom.” 

“And this was something we were concerned might happen?” Hermione said playfully as Ginny’s face went serious. Ginny gave her a knowing look and Hermione rolled her eyes. 

“I’ll find him. You can go deal with a drunk Harry Potter.” Ginny smiled wide and wrapped Hermione in a hug before skipping back down the corridor. Hermione sighed and then went in the opposite direction. She made her way to the bathroom door and knocked twice. There was no answer and she turned to continue walking in the other direction. Then there was a loud sneeze. 

“Malfoy.” Hermione’s voice was unimpressed and for a moment there was no reply. Then Malfoy cleared his throat. 

“Granger.” Hermione opened the door suddenly to find Draco, sitting on the toilet seat and completing a magical sudoku page in a twenty year old newspaper. Magical sudoku was known to be famously tricky as the numbers could swap places at any given moment. He looked up at her and grinned. She folded her arms and tapped her foot. “Were you raised in a barn? Close the door behind you.” Hermione rolled her eyes and then pulled the door closed behind her. The bathroom was small and windowless with a small flickering light hanging from the ceiling. Draco was looking back down at his sudoku page with a puzzled look. Then he held it up and pointed to a small square. 

“3 or 7 there?” Hermione squinted her eyes at him and then took a single step forward to grab the page from him. She studied it for a second. 

“6. It’s obviously a six.” She looked between him and the newspaper with shock. “Do you even know how to do a sudoku?”

“Oh is that what it’s called?” Draco smiled at her and she stifled a laugh. 

“You’re not funny.” 

“I’m fucking hilarious. Now fix the puzzle for me, Granger.” She pulled her wand from her pocket and tapped the page twice. Numbers filled in the gaps and she held it out for him again. He grabbed it and his eyes flew over the page quickly, then he looked up at her and squinted. “That’s cheating.” 

“It’s called magic, Malfoy.” She laughed and he sighed deeply before standing up quickly. Once both of them were standing the small bathroom felt even smaller and Hermione took a small step back, pushing herself against the door. Draco smirked and then lent around her to lock the door. “What are you doing?” 

“Nothing.” He said it with a smirk and she giggled slightly as he wiggled his eyebrows and stepped closer to her. He studied her seriously for a second and softly placed a hand on her hip. “Are you drunk again, Granger?” 

“Why do you always ask that?” She looked up at him curiously. 

“It doesn’t make sense that you would have sex with me sober.” 

“I haven’t had sex with you _at all_.” She smirked at him and played a little with a button of his at her eye level. 

“Yes, I was well aware of that. Thank you for the pleasant reminder.” He huffed out a laugh. Hermione’s eyes shot up from his button to his face and he could’ve sworn her pupils widened slightly. 

“I mean, there’s a very simple solution to that problem.” Hermione’s smiles as she spoke, her white teeth almost glowing in the dim bathroom light. Draco pulled a mock surprised face and then pressed his other hand to her hip, dragging her closer to him. 

“We really gonna do this?” Draco said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Hermione hummed and nodded. He hesitated for a second before pressing his mouth to hers. He ran his tongue along her lips and she opened her mouth. He micmicked the sliding motion of his tongue against hers that had made her groan previously and wasn’t disappointed by her reaction. She pushed her hands into his hair and grabbed at it until he pulled back. They breathed deeply, sharing air and eyes flicking across each other’s faces for a moment. Draco looked down at her chest for a moment before looking back up at hers eyes. 

“Take your top off.” Hermione immediately started untucking her T-shirt from her skirt and Draco helped her pull it over her head, throwing it into the sink beside them and pushing her back from him by her hips. He inhaled through his nose quickly at the sight of her in her lacy, white bra and then sighed. “Fucking finally.” 

She laughed but was cut off when he pressed his lips against hers again, his hand winding behind her to undo the bra. She slid her hands down his chest to his belt buckle as he started pulling the bra straps down her shoulders. They both pulled back for a second so she could drop the bra onto the sink with her top and then reached for each other again. She bit a little at his bottom lip and he squeaked, surprised by the sudden attack. She laughed softly into his mouth and then peppered kisses along his jaw. As she did so she undid the first few buttons on his shirt and then nipped at his throat. 

“So how’s work been?” Draco sounded conversational despite having his head thrown back and his eyes squeezed shut in pleasure. His hands were hanging down beside his sides and his fingers were twitching a little. Hermione sighed a little before replying. 

“Fine.” She pulled his belt out the buckle and undid the button on his jeans. 

“Really?” His voice quivered a little as she licked a little at the corner of his mouth. 

“They finally passed the Amenity and Alliance clause.” She pulled his shirt from his trousers and her cold hand against his stomach made his muscles tense. 

“Oh, that’s great. I know you were really-“ He choked as she sucked on his throat and suddenly pushed her hands down his pants at the same time. “-excited about that.” He groaned loudly. She was holding his length in her hand now and he breathed deeply, opening his eyes to stare at the small light above them. She didn’t reply but he kept talking. “Remember when we went to the French Ministry meeting about Dragons or something and you wore that blue skirt that barely covered your arse.” Hermione rolled her eyes and grabbed one of his hands, placing it on her uncovered breast. His head dropped to look at her again almost immediately and he gave her a nervous squeeze. 

“You talk too much, Malfoy.” Draco nodded quickly at her words and then pressed a long kiss to her lips, dragging his free hand through her curls. She gasped into his mouth as he slowly ran the pad of his thumb over her nipple. 

Then there was a knock on the door and they both pulled back from the kiss and froze. When nothing happened Draco started kissing along her shoulder and until there was another knock. At that he dropped his forehead onto her shoulder and sighed. 

“Draco, I know you’re in there!” The teasing voice of Astoria Greengrass rang through the door and Draco felt Hermione stiffening beneath him. He cleared his throat and lifted his head from her shoulder. 

“I’ll just be a minute. Go back in to the party.” His tone was measured and he stared at a spot in the door directly above Hermione’s head, resolutely avoiding her eyes. 

“Draco, darling, it’s your party!” Dracon winced as she spoke and could practically feel waves of anger pouring off Hermione in front of him. Astoria lowered her voice flirtatiously. “I was thinking we could leave early and go back to your place.” Hermione scratched a single nail along his waist and he coughed to cover the groan he almost let out. He made the mistake of meeting her gaze and felt his insides shrivel up at her burning rage. 

“Malfoy!” Hermione’s whisper was soft but enraged and Draco covered her lips with his hand. He immediately regretted it as she turned practically red with rage and bit at his fingers. 

“Astoria, go find Potter! He’s probably doing shots with Weasley. I’ll come find you in a minute.” He pulled his fingers from Hermione and sucked on the finger already bruising from her bite. 

“Ok, sweetie!” Astoria giggled a little and Draco stayed frozen in place, watching Hermione practically shake with rage, waiting until he heard Astoria’s footsteps echo down the hallway. dang through the door and Draco felt Hermione stiffening beneath him. He cleared his throat and lifted his head from her shoulder. 

“ _Draco darling_ do you think you could pass me my bra please.” Hermione said through gritted teeth. Draco sighed and threw it at her before tucking his shirt back into his trousers. Hermione turned around and pulled her bra back over her shoulders. 

“Hermione. I didn’t mean for- I just-“ 

“Oh don’t worry about it sweetie.” She shot over her shoulder. “I didn’t mean to get in the way of your arranged marriage.” She turned back and pulled her top of her head, tucking it back into her skirt. 

“It’s not an arranged marriage.” Hermione scoffed and watched in the mirror as she ran a few fingers through her hair. Draco’s eyes met hers in the reflection and then she was unlocking the door and stormin down the hallway. Draco rushed to buckle up his belt as he stumbled out the door to follow her. He watched her disappear into the party and ran after her, immediately walking into a thoroughly drunk boy-who-lived. Harry Potter hiccuped, looked him up and down and then smirked. 

“Your fly is down.” Draco looked down quickly and pulled the zip back up. When he looked up Harry wasn’t smiling anymore but instead looked thoroughly disgusted. “Did you have sex in my house Malfoy?” 

“No.” Draco scowled, pulled the beer from Harry’s hand and took a swig of it. “I got cockblocked by my own date.” Harry laughed before grabbing his beer back and holding it tight to his chest. 

“That reminds me.” Harry said as he watched Dean Thomas stand on Seamus Finnegan’s shoulders and attempt to pull down the centuries old chandelier. “Ron left with Astoria. Pretty crazy right?” Draco almost chocked on his own spit. 

“Weasel stole my date.” Draco said, more amused than angry. 

“You’re trying to steal his ex-girlfriend.” Harry said, shrugging as if it were an obvious exchange of relationships. “Although from what I’ve heard you’re not doing a very good job of it.” 

“How do you know?” Draco looked at Harry a little shocked and Harry shrugged again. 

“Hermione and I used to share a bedroom wall. I’ve heard things that would fry the circuits of your brain.” Harry looked off into the distance before suddenly scrunching his nose up in disgust and shivering a little. “Also she tells Ginny everything and Ginny is secretly the biggest gossip you’ve ever met.” 

“Wow. Glad my romantic struggles have been reduced to pillow talk.” Draco said, a little annoyed. Harry scoffed. 

“You’re using the word romantic too leniently and you’re going to embarrass yourself. Go home.” 

“You don’t want help with clearing up?” 

“Half the people here are trainee aurors. I say jump, they say how high.” As if to prove it Harry whistled and three nearby men and two women stood in a duelling stance. Draco laughed, patted him on the back and made his way to the fireplace. Just as it came in sight he watched a furious Granger throw powder in, shout her address and disappear in the flames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should have the last chapter done by Wednesday Xx


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back bitchessssss. I went through what I like to call A Depression Week, then I got my As Level results, then I was sick and then I drove all the way across France. So, sorry not sorry this took so long. Hope you like it xx

When Hermione arrived home she was still practically boiling with rage. She slammed her door shut, kicked off her shoes and spent almost ten minutes chasing Crookshanks around. She finally cornered him, pulled him to her chest and sat on the sofa, rubbing her cheek into his fur. Her breathing had finally calmed when Crookshanks suddenly sat up straight, hissed at her and scratched her leg as he jumped from her lap. She hissed back at him in pain. Then there was a knock at the door. 

Hermione sighed, shot a pointed glare in Crookshanks direction, pulled her hair into a knot on the top of her head, padded into the hallway and opened the door. 

“Granger. I know you’re mad-“ Hermione immediately slammed the door in Malfoy’s face. His sigh could be heard through the door. “Hermione…” 

She hesitated for a moment and then stormed into the kitchen. She opened the fridge, scrunched up her face in confusion and then slammed it shut again. Four different post-it notes were stuck to the fridge door. The first read “Don’t sleep with Malfoy.” The second read “Seriously, Hermione, don't do it.” The third was simply a shopping list. The fourth read “I know you’re still thinking about it. Don’t fucking do it.”

“Hermione!” Draco knocked continuously on the door. “I just want to talk!” He sounded a little desperate. 

Her eyes flicked over the post-it notes and she punched the fridge. 

“Shit! Fu-fuck!” Hermione shouted as she cradled her sore hand in her other and bent over in pain. 

“Are you ok?” Draco called through the door nervously. 

“Bloody blond git.” Hermione whispered under her breath through gritted teeth. “Yes, I’m fine!” Draco stayed silent and her eyes flicked to the door with suspicion. She squinted when he remained quiet and then stormed back to the door, throwing it open. Draco stood on her doorstep, grinning widely. 

“I knew the silent treatment would work.” Hermione growled and started to close the door again but Draco slapped a hand to the door, keeping it open. “I just want to talk. Like adults. With preferably with little to no punching.” 

“There is nothing you could possibly say-“ 

“I accidentally proved the complete invalidity of Golpalott's Third Law.” Draco blurted out and Hermione’s jaw dropped open. 

“I don’t understand.” 

“Granger, you got the top marks in potions every year, despite Snape’s bias. You definitely understand.” 

“No, I don’t- well I do but...how?” 

“Let me in and I’ll tell you.” Draco said as he raised an eyebrow at her. Hermione contemplated for a moment. Her burning anger was now more of a simmering annoyance as she tried to quench her curiosity. 

“Ok.” She said finally and Draco grinned. “But no funny business, purely academic.” Draco’s smile dropped for a moment but then he laughed. 

“Keep it PG, I know, I know.” She stepped to the side to let him in and he ran a hand through his hair as he passed her. Crookshanks ran out of the living room and froze when he saw Draco. He let out a small roar and then charged at the Malfoy. Draco simply stepped aside and Crookshanks jumped head first onto the wall opposite with a comedic  _ bonk _ . 

“Crookshanks!” Hermione shouted as he ran down the hall and around the corner. 

It took the two combined exactly 23 minutes to find and catch the animal. Hermione had insisted that wands not be used due to muggle neighbours and so Draco had resorted to making weird clicking noises near air vents. They finally found him, sitting outside Hermione’s front door and patting at it with frustration. Once Hermione had picked up the cat and unlocked the door she waved Draco in behind her. 

Draco watched as Hermione bent over to fill Croomshanks’s food bowl, suddenly very aware of the length of her skirt and he coughed awkwardly into his hand and looked around the room. His eyes caught on the fridge door and he squinted at it as he walked over to it. Hermione turned around just in time to see him focus on it. She almost ran over to stand between them and he smiled down at her. 

“Hermione.” 

“Draco.” 

“May I see your fridge?” 

“No.” 

“Why not?” 

“It’s private.” 

“Mhmm.” Draco placed his hand against the fridge, beside her head and she pressed herself against it a little more. 

“What are you doing, Malfoy?” Draco studied her face for a moment and inhaled deeply. Then he pressed his lips against hers softly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth slowly. He smiled a little and then refocused. She almost sighed until she realised he was pulling her away from the fridge with his other hand around her waist. She pushed him off but was too late. He could now see directly over her shoulder and his face dropped as he read the post-it notes stuck there. He stepped back quickly and for a moment looked at her with an uncharacteristically honest face. She felt for a moment like she’d punched him in the gut. Which she had been considering mere hours ago but seemed unnecessary now. Draco noticed her watching him and plastered on a casual smirk. 

“You really needed post-it notes to remind you?” He continued smiling at her but Hermione could sense the unease behind his eyes. 

“I’m sorry. It’s just-“ 

“Why are you sorry?”

“I- I don’t know.” 

“It’s fine.” 

“Is it?” 

“I’m flattered that you find me so attractive that you need a constant reminder not to jump me.” He was still smiling and it was making her uncomfortable. She leapt into action to avoid his smug gaze and turned around, fumbling to fill the kettle with water and turn it on. 

“Do you want tea?” She stayed with her back turned to him and reached into a cupboard above her head. He was silent for a moment and even without seeing his face she could sense his confusion. It made her feel a little empowered, making him as confused as she felt almost constantly around him. 

“Milk and two sugars, please.” He said it cheerfully and she heard the scraping noise of him pulling a chair out and sitting at her kitchen table. She turned her head for a fraction of a second and saw him sitting patiently, chin resting on his fist as he watched her. Her eyes met his and he raised his eyebrows a fraction. She jumped a little and turned back around to drop tea bags into mugs. 

“So Golpalott's Third Law states that

“The antidote for a blended poison will be equal to more than the sum of the antidotes for each of the separate components.” which is rather self-explanatory and explains how a small amount of alchemy is the best way to create blended antidotes.” Hermione turned around slowly to face him with confusion as Draco continued talking, a smile tugging at his lips as he watched her. “But I had a theory that preparing the antidotes separately and then mixing them, as you do with blended poisons, is the incorrect way to do it. Surely as you are technically working backwards you should find a way to prepare all antidotes together.” Draco tapped the table to punctuate his point and for a moment Hermione just stared at his finger. 

“But just blending the antidotes is exactly what Golpatt said didn’t work.” Hermione spoke up, slowly and attempting at confidence, and Draco grinned. 

“You’re not listening to what I’m saying. God, am I nothing more than a pretty face to you, Granger?” He winked at her before continuing his explanation, she watched him with a blushing face. “You have to find a way to combine all the processes of creating the antidotes into one antidote. You blend them as you go.” He shrugs a little and then continues. “Perhaps it’s not the most efficient method and it will take a while to work out the pattern for it but-” Draco paused. Hermione had made a strange squeaking noise and was now staring at him with wide pupils and a red face. Draco leant forward in his chair. 

“Are you alright?” Hermione nodded quickly. “Are you sure? Because you look a little flushed.”

“Mhmm. I’m fine. Just-” She cleared her throat awkwardly. “Just continue.” Draco raised an eyebrow at her and fought a smile as he continued. 

“So we’ve got funding from MACUSA and the Ministry to research the pattern and publish it for common combinations.” Draco remembered something suddenly. “Oh and we’re renting out the shop space below my apartment. You remember right? Yeah, of course you do.” Hermione nodded a little. “I’ll only part-time though, because they’re going to use the lab space for some other projects.” 

“Oh.” Hermione was controlling her breathing slowly and was clutching her own hands together in front of her. 

“So, I was wondering whether I could have my job back. On a part time basis.” Hermione’s nervousness disappeared and she almost glared at him. 

“What?!” Hermione’s hands automatically went to her hips as she looked down at him and Draco slipped easily into his go-to “Granger’s-furious-so-time-to-backpedal-like-mad” nervous countenance. 

“Well, I just figured. You-you were so angry at the time.”

“What?!” 

“And you said that I was really good at it!”

“What?!” Draco regretted leaving his homemade  _ 5 types of Gryffindor Anger and the best ways to deal with them  _ book with his father. Hermione repeatedly shouting “What?!” with increasing volume was definitely type 3 but the best course of action had slipped his mind. 

“And you’re a  _ really  _ good boss.”

“What?!” Hermione almost screeched and Draco swallowed heavily. He decided to take a very anti-Slytherin path and try honesty. 

“I miss you!” Hermione looked taken aback. 

“What?” She wasn’t screeching anymore. She instead said it softly, back to her nervous state from before. Draco looked down at the table to avoid her wide-eyed surprise and ran a hand through his hair. 

“I’ve messed this all up.” Draco let out a shaky breath and then looked back at her. “We- I- You-You never looked at me. At work. You were just so professional all the time and I was so desperate for you to- to just look at me, notice me. I know it’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid.” 

“I quit for a lot of reasons but I did it in the worst way. I was just trying to get a reaction from you and I know that was childish.”

“It did work.” Draco cocked his head at her in confusion and Hermione smiled a little. “You definitely got a reaction.”

“Yes! Well, I handled that badly too, many times as well.” Draco smiled a little as he said it but then his face dropped. “You have to know nothing was going on with Astoria. I only went to Potter’s stupid party to see you and Astoria made me take her because she- well I don’t really understand why she does the things she does but it’s none of my business.” Draco clenched his hands into fists. “All I’ve wanted to do for the last year is spend time with you but I can’t do it without fucking everything up.”

“The last year?” Hermione’s eyes weren’t nervous or angry anymore but instead full of excitement. Draco hadn’t been expecting that and he was silent for a moment. 

“It’s ridiculous. You’ve got signs in your house telling you to avoid me and I’ve been trying to-”

“Trying to?”

“I don’t know. Fuck you? I guess.” Draco shook his head. “I’m really not very good at this.” 

Hermione laughed out loud at that. 

“Come here.” Draco looked at her confused and she rolled her eyes before repeating herself. “Come here.” He practically tripped over the chair in his sudden rush to reach her and she giggled. He stumbled the rest of the way before holding her hips in his hands and grinning down at her like a mad man. “Are you drunk, Draco?” 

“Oh my God.” He chuckled and Hermione laughed a little too. 

“Shut up.” Her face was serious but her eyes were playful and he pulled her closer to him. 

“What?” He couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from curling up into a smirk. 

“Seriously, shut up.” Hermione said again and she started on his belt buckle. He pressed his mouth into a firm line and nodded quickly, eyes flicking across her face. She unzipped and unbuttoned him quickly and his fingers tightened a little on her hips. She pulled her hands away from him to grip at his wrists and pull them off her. He almost pouted until she pulled her hair over one shoulder and sank down to her knees. The pout was completely lost as he made a nonsense sound and his jaw dropped. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked up at him, pulling his pants and underpants down as she did so. He closed his mouth and cleared his throat, inspecting the top of the cupboard. 

“Are you doing this because I said all that smart shit earlier?” She paused at his words. 

“No. I’m doing this because I like you. It’s not the “smart shit” it’s the fact that  _ you _ said it.” With that she leant forward and gave him a slow lick along the whole length. He nodded quickly in response and groaned a little. 

“I’m going to stop talking now.” He said, a little breathless and Hermione looked up at him knowingly. 

Draco pushed one hand round the back of her head, gripping at her hair as the other slid up her neck. He pulled her face to look up at him with his forefinger pressing just below her ear and his thumb against her throat. She groaned and her eyes almost fluttered shut. He pulled at her hair suddenly and her eyes snapped back open, looking up at his face. 

“Fuck, you look pretty.” She blushed a little at that and he groaned as her tongue swirled around the head slowly. “Merlin. Don’t know how you expect me to stay quiet whilst you’re-  _ fuck- _ bloody killing me.” 

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him and pulled away. 

“This isn’t working.”

“Yes it is. This is working- it’s- it’s working amazingly it’s-” He caught her unimpressed gaze and stopped. She stood up and he reached for her immediately, pulling her hips right against his and pushing his tongue into her mouth immediately. She returned his movements and pushed fingers through his hair, grinning a little. Suddenly he was rushing, pulling her t-shirt out of her skirt. He pulled his lips from hers and she chased his face with her own for a moment before he pulled the top over her head and threw it into the corner where it narrowly missed a retreating Crookshanks.

“Hello again.” Draco said as his eyes fixed on her chest. She didn’t give him very long, eagerly grabbing his head and kissing him. He went to grab her bra off her but she was practically climbing him in her attempt to press herself against him exactly where she needed him. Instead he gripped her by the waist, lifted her and balanced her on the edge of the kitchen surface. Her skirt was pushed up to around her hips as his hands crept up to pull down her knickers. He pulled them back down, pulling away from the kiss again to look at her. He smiled at her with a look mixed with pure happiness and impatience. He was about to lean in again when she shouted.

“Wait!” He threw his hands in the air and took a step back. "The teapot!" 

They both looked at the quietly screeching kitchen utensil to her left and then back at each other, noting each other's heavy breathing and wide pupils.

"It doesn't matter." She said just as he said "Just ignore it."

They reached for each other again and his hands went immediately between her legs. She moaned and gripped an arm around his shoulder as her legs wrapped around his hips. He started with one finger, almost moaning himself as it slipped in slowly. He moved quickly to two fingers and pressed his thumb around her clit, smirking at her immediate reaction. 

"Fuck. Draco. Just-" He pecked a kiss on her forehead as her head dropped back a little. 

"Just... what?" She glared at him. 

"Draco, shit!" He crooked his fingers inside her and she jumped a little, her fingers gripping into his shoulder as she laid her head against his chest. He smiled down at her and she let out a small squeaking noise. "Please." His reaction to her quiet plea was immediate and he pulled his hand way from her, grabbing at her hips again. She pulled his head down to kiss him deeply as her other hand gripped his length and directed it towards her. She shuffled a little closer to the edge and he stopped their kiss to let out a deep breath and study her eyes for a moment. 

"I like you. So fucking much." He whispered across her lips and her face broke into a genuine smile that he mirrored. 

"I really like you toooo-ugh" She was interrupted as he pushed forward and filled her in one swift movement. He smirked as her head lolled back against the cupboard door and her eyes rolled back a little, her eyelids fluttering. He pulled out almost completely before pressing back in slowly. She moved one hand to press against the cupboard behind her as she raised her hips and rolled them, attempting to speed him up. He got the message and dropped his smirk to focus on speeding up, watching with a little fear at how close her head was to smacking against the wood behind her. As his thrusts sped up one of her legs gripped him closer as the other spread a little, pointing out as her toes curled. 

"Fuck. Don't stop." She groaned and he almost chuckled but then she rolled her hips at a certain angle and he groaned a long with her. 

"'M not gonna stop." He gripped her hips harder with one hand as the other moved between them, his thumb nail catching on clit accidentally and causing her to jolt upwards. The movement almost sent him over the edge and he choked out a moan. He pressed his thumb against her in small circles as he sped up again, watching her arch off the surface a little. Her eyes flew open as she lent up to press her mouth against his again. Their tongues intertwined as they both moaned. She tightened around him suddenly and her fingers dragged along the wood behind her as she let out a small cry. He watched as she feel over the edge and then increased his thrusts until he followed her. He let out a moan of his own and then pressed his head onto her shoulder as their breathing slowed. 

"Oh my god." Hermione was the first to speak, her eyes studying the kitchen ceiling. He chuckled a little, his forehead pressed against her shoulder. "It turns out you _do_ know how to shut up." Draco pulled his head up to smirk at her a little and then ran his thumb over her clit gently. She choked and screwed her eyes shut and he grinned. 

"Do I get my job back then?" Her eyes opened suddenly and she inspected him as he pulled out of her, pulling his trousers up but not moving to far away from her. He re-zipped himself and then immediately had his hands back on her. 

"Definitely not." His face dropped. "I can't hire you immediately after you've fucked me into my kitchen cupboards." 

"Well why not?" He was pulling her skirt back down her legs a little and tucking a hair behind her ear. "Was it really that bad?" He pressed a kiss to her cheek and she blushed.

"It's inappropriate. It's just the principle of it. I can't have people thinking-" 

"That I'm so good at shagging you you just gave me my job back? That everyone knows I'm overqualified for it anyway." He lent to pick up her knickers and slip them back up her legs, grinning at her as he did it. 

"If you're overqualified why don't you just get another job?" 

"Well- I-" His eyebrows furrowed. "I'd see you everyday." He licked his lips nervously and then ran a hand through his hair. "That's not a good enough reason. Is it?"  She laughed a little and jumped down from her spot on the side. 

"I'm not hiring you so you can distract me from my job. That would make me a bad boss." 

"So what now? I have to ask you out on dates to see you?" He sighed dramatically.

"Yes!" Hermione laughed at him. "That's how this works."

"You'll say yes if I ask right?" 

"Maybe." He rolled his eyes and she laughed, grabbing his hand and pushing her fingers in between his. He looked down at their intertwined fingers and then back up at her. 

"Ok."

"Ok?" He nodded and then pressed his lips against hers. He kissed her softly and slowly before whispering against her lips.

"Are you sure I can't have my job back?" 

"Oh my god!" She pulled away suddenly. "Shut up." He opened his mouth to say something smug but she kissed him quickly, silencing him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first thing I've ever actually finished writing yayyyyy. I should really read through stuff at least once before I post it lol. Anyway hope you liked it. I'll be back to updating my other stuff regularly again now as well xx


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